An apparatus and a process of this general type is disclosed in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 3634904 A1. In that patent disclosure molten glass emerges from nozzles on the underside of glass melting tanks. The molten drops which are thus formed are pulled into glass fibers as the drops migrate to a steeply slanted plane surface, are passed to the surface of a pick-up drum, and are subsequently removed from the drum. Before reaching a full circumferential winding on the drum, the fibers are raised from the drum surface by a lifting arrangement. The fibers next with the aid of a transporting air stream from the drum surface are guided into a spinning funnel wherein the fibers are simultaneously injected and entwined. The glass fiber composite so produced is extracted from an exit opening of the spinning funnel by a withdrawal apparatus. In addition an introduction device for fibers of another material is possible, which additionally introduces fibers of synthetic material to the drum surface. Alternatively, the insertion of the synthetic fibers can take place at the pick-up point for the glass fibers, that is in between the lift from the drum and the entry into the spinning funnel. The fibers of both types always are intermixed prior to introduction into the spinning funnel. This kind of manufacture permits the production of mixed fiber composites from glass fibers and an additive fibrous material, preferably plastic, such as a polyamide. In any event, it has been determined that these fibrous composites do not exhibit a satisfactory homogenous character. Nests of glass fibers and nests of the additive fibrous materials, each in their respective original states, are found to occur in groupings within the fiber composite. Nevertheless, this product is acceptable for many end uses and the tensile strength tends to be maintained.
European Patent No. 0616055 B1 discloses an apparatus and a process for the production of a composite yarn, in which endless glass filaments are combined with continuous filaments of a thermoplastic polymeric material. In this case, the individual glass filaments are led over a coating arrangement. The pretreated polymeric fibers are then, in common with the glass fibers, conducted over a tension roll and subsequently are spun. It should be pointed out that the fiber composite, when observed in cross-section is relatively non-homogenous.